Ken Burns On 'The National Parks'

“I have spent more than 35 years of my professional life trying to find out who we are,” says filmmaker Ken Burns. His documentary, “The National Parks,” is a six-part series that traces the history and development of the National Parks System, from the moment the first white settlers laid eyes on Yosemite, to the acts of congress that created the parks. The film also tells the stories of those officials and citizens that help preserve the parks for future generations.

In the linked audio above, Ken Burns speaks with me about “The National Parks,” and what he learned about our land and its history while making the film. He also addresses how this series fits in with the rest of his oeuvre, the struggle to fund independent documentary projects, and whether the controversy over his film “The War” affected his filmmaking.